Corrugated sole and heel tread for shoes



Feb. 10, 1953 N. HACK 2,627,676

` coRRuGA'r-ED -soLE AND HEEL TREAD' yroa sHoEs Filed Deo. 1o. 1949 g zsmETS-SHEET 1 @l5 INVENTOK /Vozhcm Hock Feb. l0, 1953 N. HACK 2,527,676

CORRUGATED SOLE AND'HEEL TREAD FOR sHoEs Filed Dec. 1o, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 A Homey.

Patented Feb. 10, 1953 -CORRUGATEDSOLE AND HEEL TREAD FOR SHOES Nathan Hack, Santa. Monica, Calif., assigner to HackA Shoe Company, Detroit Mich., a. co.-

partnership ApplicationDecember 10, 1949, Serial No. 132,271

(C1. 31h-2.9.),V

Claims. l

This invention relates to a novel and improved shoe, sole and heel particularly adapted to reduce fatigue and shock by the application oiv a shock absorbing-principle, hereinbelow described'.

One of the principal problems in walking, running or jumping is to reduce the magnitude of the shock which is transmitted to the body through the feet and legs upon the landing of the feetA onto a hard', resistant surface. For eX- ample, in walking on the sidewalks of urban areas, the concrete pavement offers a tremendous resistance to the landing of shoes in ordinary normal walking. In this instance, a moderate amount of pressure is transmitted through the shoes by placing the feet, one after the other, on this hard surface. in running, where the mass'movement of a body creates a greater force and consequently a greater pressure upon the feet and legs, the landing shock of the shoe on the pavement is considerably increased over that of walking. And in jumping, where the body mass traveling through the air,Y at an accelerated speed, strikes the hard pavement, or other hard surfaces as asphalt, gravel or stones, the landing shook assumes dangerous proportions for the feet, legs, and torso of the jumper. A yet greater shock is contained in` the landingv of parachute jumpers from airplanes, where the speed of descent is high and the shock is directly proportional to the resistance of the terrain on which the jumper is landing.

It is apparent, considering the above, that fatigue is an important factor in the quantity and magnitude of shocks occasioned by walking, running or jumping; The hereindescribed in,- vention will increase the effective activity of the wearer byy as much as 50% over what he can do in ordinary shoes,

There are several standard shoe constructions and manufacturing methods by which the invention can be applied, among them being the sewing, cementing, and nailing'processes, all well known in the art; About every style of' shoe, including wedge and platform styles, lendsv itself to application of the novel sole and heel of this invention. In the instant invention, the ordinary outer sole of the shoe is replaced by an undulating, corrugated sole and heel having air spaces between the shoe and the sole and heel'. This air space and corrugation is a novel principle in shoe construction which will serve the wearer with the advantages of reduced fatigue and greater shoe comfort. The principle of the undulating, corrugated sole and heel consists in providing an absorbent and yielding surface that cushionsthe landing shock oi walker, runner or jumper. Ihis cushioning effect is of; vital importance inA areas; where people are constantly on hard unyielding resistant surfaces.

It is, therefore, a prirrlaly object of; this: invention to provide a cushioning sole andheel for shoes to be; appliedv by any method-.for applying soles and heels; It is a.. further object; to provide a shoev made in the usual manner: and byv standard methods having, place of the ordinary outer sole and he'eL. or either of them,

cushioning sole and/o1: heel'. Itis-another object of this invention. to provide an. undulating corrugated sole and heelr for athletic footwear of all kinds, boots, overshoes, paratroopers boots, ski boots'and, in fact, all types offo'otwear where shock landing occurs. Another Objectis to provide a cushioning sole for shoes used by nurses, housewives, factoryv workers, and others` engaged in activities that require long periods of standing. It is still another object to provide a sole and/or heel' suitablev forapplication tov new or used shoes by a shoe repair man. Anotherobject is to provide a replacement typeY sole and/or heel which can be applied to shoes by standard replacement methods.

The specicfembodiments of the invention de, scribed below are submitted for purposes of description only, and not as a limitation upon the invention, which is defined in the appended claims.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing, made a part of' this specication,

Fig. l is a perspective View of' the invention applied to a mans shoe.

Fig, 2 is a sectional view yon the line, 2,-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a bottom viewof'a, shoe` containing a modification of;r the invention ('l'engthwisecorrugations).

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of" a further modification oi the invention, taken on a line similar to that shown in Fig. 2 ('solidl-lled corruga tions).

Fig. 5' is a bottomv View" of-r another modification of the-invention (corrugated sole up to,v the breastof theheel).

Fig. 5-A is a bottom view' of another'f'orm-of the invention, (heel section only).

Fig. 6 isr a fragmentary sectionalv View of" another modincationof the invention, taken on a line similar to that* shown in Fig. 2 (double opposed corrugated sole) Fig. 7 is a fragmentary bottom vi'ewof; another modification of the inventionl ('spaced crests inl each corrugation or undulation).

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary bottom View ofi-another modication of the invention (criss-cross corrugations).

Fig. 9 is a sectional View of another modification of the invention taken on a line similar to that shown in Fig. 2 (overshoes).

Fig. l() is a fragmentary sectional view of another modication of the invention on a line similar to that shown in Fig. 2 (V-shaped corrugations).

In genera-l, the inventions consists of the application of an outer sole, having undulating corrugations and air spaces, to the inner soles or welts of shoes by sewing, cementing, nailing, or other method. The sole and heel of this invention are best fabricated by molding the desired material into a shape which can be affixed to the shoe. These materials may be leather, rubber, or compositions suitable for footwear. It is of importance to recognize the fact that the sole and heel of this invention may be broken up and applied in sections or segments, as soles or heels only.

The shoe I0, of sewed construction, has a welt I2 to which is sewed the undulating corrugated sole I4, along itsedge IS. Transverse crcsswise corrugations i8 are formed in the sole i4 by molding, and oiier a considerable shock-absorbing area for the feet. The type of sole construction shown in Fig. 1 represents a standard or universal type applicable to most shoes. The corrugations i8 by compression and movement into the air spaces 28 provide the cushioning eiect of the invention. In comparison with normal standard footwear construction, it is obvious that the landing shock is substantially reduced by the cushioning construction of this invention.

A minor modification (Fig. 3) of the corrugated sole and heel described above may be made by providing that corrugations 22 run lengthwise of the shoe. Although the number of corrugations are substantially reduced, nevertheless, for certain purposes, this type of sole may be preferred. Another form which the invention mar; take, Fig. 4, is to provide substantially solid-filled corrugations 2d with a smaller air space 26 between the sole 28 and the shoe l'l. This construction requires sole material that is cuite resilient and yielding, as crepe rubbers and similar materials.

Another minor modiication (Fig. is to apply the corrugated undulating sole 39 to a portion of the shoe having a standard heel construction 32, and running the sole 3B up to the breast 34 of the heel.

A further variation of the principle of the 1n- Vention is shown in Fig. 6, where a double opposed corrugated sole 40 has been aiiixed to the shoe l0 in the usual manner. In this case, there is a double air space to cushion the landing shock, namely the air space 42 in the upper portion ot the double sole 4B and the air space 44 between the complementary opposed corrugations 46, so tha-t a double cushioning effect is achieved.

Spaced crests 48 in the transverse corrugations of Fig. '7, and criss-cross corrugations 50 in Fig. 8,

are minor modifications of the invention.

The invention may also be applied in the form of an overshoe, rubber boot, or galosh 54 which the wearer may slip over an ordinary shoe ID.

It is clear that the rounded form of undulating corrugation above described and depicted in the drawing may be varied from a perfect semicircle to a sharp-pointed V-shaped corrugation 58, Fig. 10, without violating the principle of this invention.

Among other types of footwear to which this invention is applicable are childrens shoes, and footwear for farmers and other people traversing rough and uneven ground.

As described and indicated above, the undulating corrugated sole of this invention is aiixed to shoes in any normal and usual manner, and provides an air space cushion for the feet. Because these corrugations are non-collapsible, the foot does not make solid contact, in the shoe, with the terrain on which the wearer may land. It is not advisable to use hard unyielding materials for the corrugated sole because then a cushioning action cannot be achieved. Another advantage of the inventive construction is the additional support given to the arch of the foot.

It is pointed out that the application of the invention may be divided into segments as a sole and heel separately applied to a shoe. Fig. 5-A depicts a heel segment 36 having undulating cor rugations 38. The heel edge 31 is trimmed to the heel shape and is nailed, cemented, or attached to the shoe according to standard current practices. A layer of suitable heel material is formed with the undulating corrugations 38, enclosing air spaces, and is cemented to the heel portion of the shoe and/or nailed thereto, the nails also being applied between the corrugations, as well as around the heel edge 31. The method of applying heels embodying the invention, or for that matter the sole or sole and heel combination, is purely optional, the above being a description of one way of performing the op eration.

The details of the embodiments disclosed in this specication may be varied in greater or lesser degree without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A s"oe sole and heel consisting of transverse elongated undulating corrugations formed from a Unit layer of a shock absorbing yet yielding sole material of uniform thickness, said corrugations forming enclosed air spaces between said sole and heel and the shoe from one side to the other side of said shoe. said corrugations being arranged on said shoe independently of one another and in a continuous substantially parallel sequence when said sole and heel are aiiixed to said shoe, each of said corrugations making a single line of contact with a rest plane when substantially free of load, and being individually and collectively capable of being exed and compressed under the load and stresses of shoe action in ambulation, the corrugations of said sole and heel being arranged for free, unrestricted exing of each corrugation whereby a gliding effect is achieved.

2. A shoe sole consisting of transverse elongated undulating corrugaticns formed from a unit layer of a shock absorbing yet yielding sole material of uniform thickness, said corrugations forming enclosed air spaces between said sole and the shoe from one side to the other side of said shoe in a continuous parallel sequence with said air spaces arranged independently of one another when said sole is aixed to said shoe, each of said corrugations making a single line of contact with a rest plane when substantially free of load, and being individually and collectively capable of being iiexed and compressed under the load and stresses of shoe action in ambulation, said corrugations being arranged for free, unrestrained flexing whereby a gliding effect is achieved,

3. A shoe heel consisting of transverse elongated undulating corrugations formed from a unit layer of a shock absorbing yet yielding heel material of uniform thickness, said corrugations Aforming enclosed air spaces between said heel and the shoe from one side to the other side of said shoe, said corrugations being attached to said shoe in a continuous parallel sequence with said air spaces arranged independently of one another when said heel is aiixed to said shoe, each of said corrugations making a single line of contact with a rest plane when substantially free of load, and being individually and collectively capable of being fixed and compressed under the load and stresses of shoe action in ambulation, said corrugations being arranged for free, unrestricted flexing of each' corrugation whereby a gliding eiect is achieved.

4. A shoe sole and heel consisting of a unit layer of material of uniform thickness, arranged into undulating corrugations attachable at the crests of said corrugations to the bottom of said shoe and forming cushioning enclosed air spaces under said shoe, said air spaces being transverse of said shoe, independent of one another, and of elongated shape extending from the one side to the other side of said shoe, each of said corrugations making a single line of contact with a rest plane when substantially free of load, and being individually and collectively capable of being flexed and compressed under the load and stresses of shoe action in ambulation, each of said eorrugations being arranged for free, unrestricted exing whereby a gliding effect is obtained.

5. A shoe sole and heel consisting of a unit layer of a resilient, substantially shock-absorbing material of uniform thickness arranged into transverse elongated corrugations, said corrugations lying across the shoe -from side to side in a continuous parallel sequence and enclosing, air spaces independent of one another, said corrugations being yielding to and absorbing of shock in their air cushioning action, each of said corrugations making a single line of contact with a rest plane when substantially free of load, and being individually and collectively capable of being iiexed and compressed under the load and stresses of shoe action in ambulation, said corrugations being arranged for free, unrestricted iiexing of each corrugation whereby a gliding eiect is attained.

NATHAN HACK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le cf this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,090,881 Wilson Aug. 24, 1937 2,110,492 Sindler Nov. 310, 1937 2,142,981 Richards Jan. 3, 1939 2,198,338 Greider Apr. 23, 1940 2,199,853 Joyce et al May 7, 1940 2,254,685 Jackson Sept. 2, 1941 2,281,321 Olson et al. Apr. 28, 1942 2,553,616 Walls May 22, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 24,007 Great Britain Dec. 29, 1892 of 1892 

